Lewis Hamilton has had his Mercedes road car impounded and is expected to be charged on a summons with improper use of a vehicle following an incident in Melbourne last night, Victoria police have confirmed.

Hamilton has apologised for "overexuberant" driving after being stopped by police. "This evening, I was driving in an overexuberant manner and, as a result, was stopped by the police," Hamilton said in a McLaren statement. "What I did was silly, and I want to apologise for it."

Hamilton was reportedly pulled over by police in Melbourne after doing a "burnout". According to ABC in Australia, the police say the McLaren driver was turning into Fitzroy Street at around 9.15pm when he "deliberately lost traction of his wheels".

The 25-year-old Hamilton was driving a silver Mercedes Benz sedan and police say they have impounded the vehicle. He will be summonsed for improper use of a motor vehicle. The Briton is likely to face a fine if found to have to committed an offence. "It's something that will be settled in court and would be a monetary matter," said a police spokesman. "None of these court times or dates have been set as yet."

The alleged incident happened hours after Hamilton clocked the fastest time in Friday's practice sessions before Sunday's Australian grand prix. Hamilton was pulled over close to the Albert Park circuit and taken back to his hotel in a police vehicle. His Mercedes car was also impounded. The police spokesman said: "There were no problems whatsoever when the driver was stopped. He was assisted back to his hotel, which was about six kilometres [four miles] away. He was with a male passenger in the car."

Local reports said the 2008 world champion was seen "doing a burnout and fishtail". The Melbourne Herald Sun described his conduct as "hoon driving". The term "hoon" has obtained a semi-official use in Australia, with police and governments employing it to describe legislation targeting anti-social driving activity.

It is not the first time Hamilton has been in trouble for his driving off the track. In December 2007 he was suspended from driving in France for a month after being caught speeding at 121mph on a motorway. Hamilton is in Melbourne for the second grand prix of the 2010 season and set the fastest lap time in the second free practice session this morning. His team-mate Jenson Button was second fastest while the former world champion Michael Schumacher finished fourth after a slow start.